New Balance suspends sales of T-shirt with reversed Taegeuk symbol after criticism; Kyoungduk Seo says, "A global company failed to meet even the basics"

[Financial News] Sports brand New Balance has suspended sales of a T-shirt that incorrectly depicted the Taegeuk symbol and issued an official apology after the product sparked controversy. Under the Act on the Flag of the Republic of Korea, the Taegeuk symbol in the center of the South Korean national flag should have red on top and blue on the bottom. In this product, however, the symbol was shown in reverse, drawing criticism.
According to the industry on the 24th, New Balance said on its official website, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern with the T-shirt featuring a Taegeuk design," and announced that it would fully suspend sales of the product and offer refunds to customers who purchased it.
The company also said it would review the entire planning and production process to prevent similar problems from happening again.
The controversy spread after Kyoungduk Seo, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, raised the issue on social network service (SNS).


Seo said, "After receiving a tip from a netizen and checking it, I found that the Taegeuk symbol on the T-shirt sold by New Balance was designed in the opposite direction from the actual South Korean national flag," and pointed out that "a fake Taegeuk flag" had been used on the product.
He added, "It is unacceptable for a global company to repeatedly use an incorrect South Korean national flag on its products," and criticized the company, saying, "Basic understanding of and respect for the national symbols of the countries where you do business is essential."
Seo said this was not the first such case, citing an earlier controversy during the North and Central America World Cup, when World Cup souvenir goods featuring an incorrect South Korean national flag were distributed at a Shake Shack store in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He emphasized, "For a truly global company, checking basic information about the history, culture and national symbols of the country where it sells its products is the minimum courtesy."
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